


Here to There

by Elaine_ORoake



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Belle deserves better, Captain Duckling, Captain Swan - Freeform, Emma is a princess...sorta, Emma/Regina mother/daughter relationship, F/M, Killian is still Captain Hook, Storybrooke, enchanted forest, pro-Belle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-05-30 21:52:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6442318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elaine_ORoake/pseuds/Elaine_ORoake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone was expecting a curse, not a kidnapping.</p>
<p>After discovering her mother's real nature as the Evil Queen, Emma runs away....and makes a new hooked friend while she's at it</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Funny story, I wrote this back in October for a Tumblr fic challenge thing, but the whole thing kinda fell apart due to lack of participants. I never actually published it, so for a few months it just sat in a file on my computer. 
> 
> So later I went through this fic, decided it could be better, added a bunch of new scenes, changed it, and viola! Here it is. Enjoy it and please leave reviews when you're done.
> 
> beta'd by: blc1227

Queen Snow and King David thought they knew what was coming, a curse that would rip them from everything and everyone they held dear until the curse could be broken 28yrs later by their daughter, the Savior.

They didn't expect Regina to flip the script the very last minute.

Regina took a closer look at the curse Rumplestiltskin had given her, and realized quickly she didn't like it. Not one bit of it.

She didn't want Snow living obliviously in a life where she didn't know that she had lost everything she had cherished and loved, oh no. She wanted Snow to know exactly the pain of losing the person she loved the most. Especially since that spell was placed upon her that she couldn't physically harm Snow in their realm. Regina craved to see Snow White bleed red.

Regina's father had passed away when Regina herself had crushed his heart and put it in the forming of the curse. The curse she now realized wouldn't help her at all, and with her regret, her bitterness grew. Why did Snow get a family while Regina was here in that huge castle with no one to care about? Snow was about to have her child, the prophesied Savior that was supposed to, one day, break the curse anyway, and Regina had made herself infertile just to prove to her mother that no one would ever truly love her. An action she regretted, since now she would never have a child for herself.

Unless…..

The idea hit her like a lightning bolt. It was perfect. Snow would lose the person she loved the most, and Regina would have a child.

Regina was going to steal Snow White's newborn daughter.

So the Evil Queen waited until she heard the announcement of the kingdom's newest heir. Regina had made a point not to do anything that would tip them off to her plans despite the itching in her fingers that were tempted to cause mayhem, but it paid off in the end.

* * *

 

Snow White rocked her fussy daughter to get her to calm down. Emma had been crying all morning, as all newborns do in their first week of life, and the strain showed under Snow's eyes as evidence to the late night feedings Emma seemed to like.

Despite her tiredness, she was grateful that she had been allowed to forego some of the festivities that were custom when announcing the birth of a royal. But Emma wasn't just any royal, she was a sign of peace, a sign that happy endings were possible and that the bad times were behind them. Snow and David were beloved by their people, and thus so was their little princess.

"Well, well, doesn't this look cozy?" Snow's blood went cold. No, it couldn't be.

"Regina!" Snow gasped, her hands shook while clutching the infant to her chest. Regina couldn't hurt Snow, but she could still hurt Emma.

"Well, obviously. Did you hit your head recently or do you happen to know another person who dresses like this?" she said, gesturing to her black leather bustier.

Snow backed up towards the balcony, hoping that she could get the attention of the guards below. It was so stupid to give the majority of the staff the day off to join their families in the celebration.

"Regina, please, what are you doing here?"

The Evil Queen breathed an overdramatic sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, cutting right to the chase. I _really_ didn't feel like catching up." She waved her black gloved hand at Snow White. "You see, I was doing some thinking and realized that I don't need to kill you to live happily. I have a better idea!" Regina snapped her fingers, and in a puff of smoke Emma disappeared from Snow's arms.

Snow screamed. "Help!"

Regina laughed and looked down at the tiny girl that was cradled in her arms. "Aren't you the most precious thing?"

Snow charged at Regina, hoping to tackle the woman and get her child out of Regina's grasp, but when she leaped she was met with nothing but the cold air and hard stone ground.

She swung her head around the room to find any trace of her green eyed child, only to realize that Emma and Regina were long gone.

"EMMA!"

* * *

Queen Snow and King David didn't hesitate to pull out all the stops in rescuing their daughter from the Evil Queen. They sent soldiers to scour the lands and to cross into Regina's kingdom, but the magical border kept them out. They requested the aid of the fairies, and the ones that did respond to the request found out rather quickly their magic was no match against Regina's border. The kingdom was in a state of determination to get their young princess back, no matter the cost.

As the months slowly trickled by, one by one the citizens lost hope in bringing Emma home, and eventually, so did her parents. The True Love couple that believed in hope and happy endings soon gave up on ever seeing their daughter again.

A few years later they had another child, a son they named after Snow's late father, and tried their best to forget all about Emma. During the week to celebrate Leopold's birth, the festivities were kept to a minimum with all guards at their posts. But Regina never came.

Meanwhile in Regina's dark kingdom, the Evil Queen found a new light in her life.

Those first few weeks with Emma were a hassle, several times she wondered if it was too late to return the child, with Emma's nonstop crying and irregular sleep schedule.

But in between cursing the baby's name and debating whether or not to use sleeping potion on the ankle biter, Regina fell in love.

That sweet girl that radiated life and warmth with her toothless smile, her sweet green eyes staring right into Regina's, and suddenly she knew why she was called the Savior. That innocent little young thing had saved whatever humanity was left in the Evil Queen. Emma's light and calming magic was never used for any misdeeds, Regina saw to that. She had allowed Rumplestiltskin to turn her into a monster, and she wasn't about to let that happen to Emma.

As Emma grew up, she was kept a secret from Regina's people. The few staff she allowed to watch over the girl when Regina was doing her less than compassionate ruling were cursed into never uttering a word about the golden haired beauty. People believed that Regina had simply murdered the young princess, even Snow and David themselves. When the magical barrier they had fought to weaken so ruthlessly eventually came down years later, they didn't make any moves of retaliation. They didn't want their daughter's memory to be tainted by blood and war.

Even though she grew up with the woman her whole life, Emma started finding ways to sneak out of the castle to mingle amongst the townsfolk. For years she would go out and blend seamlessly into the crowd, she would make friends with the vendors trying to sell their various products or pick up a few tricks from artisans.

For most of her teenage years Emma would spend her time on the streets with the orphans, and surprisingly found herself identifying with them more so than she ever realized, especially with an older boy named Baelfire. Emma thought it was True Love, that one day they would live happily ever after and not even her overprotective mother would disapprove. It wasn't until Baelfire got caught stealing gold from a local nobleman and tried to pin the whole thing on her that she grew out of her naivety. She realized why her mother only allowed her to associate within the children the members of the staff brought with them. After that, Emma kept her relationships with men simple and quick.

As she grew out of her teens did Emma dare enter into a tavern.

The smell was saltier than it was outside, but cleaner. Women with tight corsets and flowing hair served the patrons with seductive smiles and flirtatious glances. She saw the subtle power the barmaids wielded, and she couldn't help but feel envious of them.

For weeks she would sit down at a table in the back and watch the people interact, listen to their stories. Eventually hearing stories about their queen. Their Evil Queen.

It was then that Emma heard the stories about the slaughtered villages, the crushed hearts, and the ruined lives.

Despite being raised by apparently the most evil villain to have ever lived, Emma never saw Regina crush hearts or even so much as threaten someone in front of her. It wasn't until then that Emma was more curious about the castle she lived in. About the woman who raised her.

When she was younger, she often wondered who her father was, and wondered if she looked like him since she didn't look a thing like her mother. Now she wondered if it was Graham, the huntsman who she had grown up calling 'Uncle Graham', who she had later learned was little more than her mother's forced sex toy.

Emma cursed herself. How stupid could she be? She was twenty two years old and she had only just learned the truth about her mother.

Emma couldn't reconcile her sweet and loving mother with the fire throwing queen she was hearing stories about. Surely they couldn't be true.

It wasn't until Emma hid in her mother's counsel room that she saw the Evil Queen herself.

_A man was thrown at Regina's feet by two of Regina's guards. Emma swallowed her gasp from behind the curtains as she recognized the man as one of the castle's cooks._

_"_ _So," her mother said, her mouth turning downwards in a frown, accentuating the scar on her lip. "I hear you can get a lot of money spreading rumors around."_

_Regina squeezed her hand as the man struggled to breathe, fingers clawing at his neck to remove hands that weren't there. Regina let him go and the man collapsed onto the floor._

_"_ _Not…rumors….if it's…..the truth," he managed to wheeze out in between breaths._

_Regina's heels clicked across the floor as she strode towards him. She shoved her hand through the man's chest and pulled out his red beating heart as easily as flipping the pages of a book._

_Emma pressed her hands over her mouth, her head shaking back and forth. She couldn't believe it, the stories were true. Her mother, no,_ _**the Evil Queen** _ _, was a tyrant._

_Regina squeezed the heart, her hand trembling in fury._

_"_ _It doesn't matter what you do to me. Eventually they'll learn the truth." The man gasped as sand began to fall from Regina's hand. "_ _**The** _ _**Savior lives** _ _." The man collapsed to the ground, the remnants of his heart starting to scatter across the floor._

_"_ _I want this cleaned up," Regina said icily._

_Emma stifled a sob. She couldn't stand by knowing her mother had no qualms about murder._

_In her panicked mind, Emma made a decision, she was going to leave the castle. For good._


	2. The Captain Loses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Hook finds himself in a tavern, and meets a mysterious bar wench

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess it's pretty obvious who makes their first appearance in this chapter, huh?

The fearsome Captain Hook slammed down his mug, a sign to the barmaid to refill it. The redheaded lass on his arm giggled at the story he had just finished telling about the royal embargo he had foiled. Though Hook wondered if she was giggling because of his story or because of his dashing good looks. One way or the other that girl was, for lack of a better word, _hooked_.

When one of the men brought up a deck of cards, a game was started and soon bets were placed. The redhead on his arm got bored and started running her hand up and down his arm, trying to entice him, but Hook had his eye on the small swan necklace that his opponent had put in the pot. The silver gleam to the trinket reminded him of the curve of his hook.

The dastardly pirate himself gave a shout of victory as he placed the cards in front of him, revealing his hand to the crowd. Cries, some of glee and some of disappointment, rang out as coins were exchanged and his opponent got up from his chair. Hook took the loot he had just won with a victorious grin.

Hands appeared on the table, bringing swinging gold hair and the scent of salt and lemons.

“What are you boys playing?”

Hook looked up, his jaw going slack at the surprising appearance of the young beauty. Her eyes were flirtatious and surrounded by hints of charcoal while her mouth was stretched out in a smile that looked like it was trying not to mock him.

He waved his hand to the empty chair in front of him, quickly regaining his roguish composure. He now sat alone as the young redhead had abandoned him, realizing that she would not be getting any special attention from him. “Why don’t you sit down and find out?”

She quirked an eyebrow. “But I don’t have anything to bet with.”

He tossed out his best smile. “How about your name, lass? I win this round and I get your name, you win, and you can take your pick of my winnings.”

She took her place in front of him, and a quick rumbling came from their onlookers as bets were quickly placed.

He had a bad hand and he knew it, but he didn't show it. The woman before him studied his features, trying to seek out the cracks in his facade.

“You’re bluffing. I won’t fold,” she said.

He quirked an eyebrow, and then showed his hand. “You win, love. Congratulations.”

As slowly the crowd realized that the end of the round announced the end of the games, and therefore, the betting, they dispersed.

“Well, love, deal is a deal. Take your pick,” Hook said, leaning back casually.

Her green eyes flicked across the random assortment of treasure. Her eyes sparked when she landed on something in particular.

“I want that necklace.”

Hook shook his head in good nature. “How unfortunate, I was rather fond of that trinket.”

She leaned across the table to take her prize, but to his astonishment, she got even closer to him than he thought. Her lips ghosted his ear as she leaned in.

“In these parts I’m known as Swan,” she breathed.

He turned his head to look at her more. “Ah. That explains your fascination with the necklace, Lady Swan.”

Her face briefly hardened before going back to her previous flirtatious attitude. “Well, Captain, you’ll see that I’m no lady.”

He chuckled darkly. “It seems we will have to remedy that,” he muttered. His smirk came back full force. “Come back to my ship with me.”

She leaned back from and pushed in her chair. “Sorry, Captain, but my shift starts soon.” She pocketed the silver swan necklace and sashayed away, as gracefully as her apparent namesake, taking his attention with her. He scratched the back of his head with his hook, blaming his blush on the spirits he’d consumed.

He barely remembered heading back to the ship with the remainder of his crew that hadn't managed to find a bed warmer, he barely remembered the orders he gave to them, but he did remember the graceful barmaid who insisted she wasn’t a lady.

* * *

Emma shouldn't have been as surprised as she was that he came back.

A pack of rowdy men stumbled in, seemingly inebriated although Emma could guess that they were all still sober, but meaning to change that very soon.

The pirate with that infuriating smirk met eyes with her from across the tavern, signaling for a round of drinks.

Emma gave a smirk herself. If Emma had herself an admirer, or at least someone trying to bed her, than the more tips she would probably receive. But of course she also couldn't help enjoying their little back and forth conversational battle they seemed to be starting.

"Back so soon?" she asked as she passed out the mugs to the men at his table.

He was known as Captain Hook, that much Emma could figure out by him being a captain, and well, that hook of his wasn't exactly in style among the masses.

Hook leaned forward, his shadowed eyes trying to lure her in. "Always for a lass such as yourself. Especially one who wears a gift from me."

Emma scoffed as she looked at the swan necklace around her throat. "Gift? I won this fair and square."

He chuckled. "Maybe so, but it is from me, and I did give it to you for winning a bet."

Emma smiled and shook her head playfully. "You flatter me, but I'm just here to serve drinks and get enough to pay for rent." When her tray was empty, she straightened up and headed back to the bar. She cursed herself. One of the unspoken rules of keeping a man coming back was to keep up the fantasy, never let them believe that their object of attention had an actual life, was a real person. Mentioning her struggle to pay rent broke that rule.

Luckily for her, and knew the correct way to continue with this game. If he chose to proceed.

Even with her faux pas, she wasn't too surprised to see him waiting for her when she had finished making her rounds.

"Is your shift over yet?" he asked, a hint of eagerness showing.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "It is a slow night, I could use a break." She pulled two tumblers from behind the bar and filled them with rum, leaving the bottle out as she went back to the other side and joining Hook where he sat.

He took a sip out of his tumbler. "I highly doubt someone would name their daughter, 'Swan'."

She also took a sip. "What's your point?"

"My point is that I don't know your name."

She quickly racked her head for something clever to say. "What's the fun in that? I don't know your name either. This way we're just ships passing in the night."

He licked his bottom lip. "Passing closely, I hope." He stuck out his only hand. "Killian Jones, at your service, milady." She flinched, but shook his hand anyway.

The air got a little too heavy for her when he called her 'milady', and she did her best to change the subject. "Most people don't come here two nights a row unless they live around here. And I'm sure I've never seen you before."

"Most men would take your avoidance as off putting, but I love a challenge," he said, his eyes sparking to life. "If you must know, we are here for ship repairs, we were caught in a skirmish between a vessel belonging to the Evil Queen and another hailing from Misthaven."

Emma barely contained a shiver from hearing about her mother. It had been a few months since she had left her naive palace life behind for making an honest living not supported by the misery of her mother's people, but she still missed her mother.

"Misthaven? Doesn't their blood feud with Queen Regina go back decades?" she asked, remembering the hazy stories she had heard from intoxicated patrons.

"Aye. But let's not talk about some spoiled royals sending troops to fight a pointless war, I'd rather get to know more about yourself. Let's start with your name."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did their meeting disappoint you? Review and tell me that
> 
> Did their meeting make you squeal? Review and tell me that
> 
> Did their meeting inspire homicidal rage? Review and....on second thought, don't tell me that and seek help. But by all means, please review


	3. An Odd Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captain and the bar wench become close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, sorry for not posting as early as I would've liked, lately I've been having internet. I have now found a wifi source, yay me!
> 
> You might hate me for where I ended this though. Cliffhanger warning

"Emma Swan," he said, testing out the name on his tongue. Her hand rested at the crook of his arm as he walked her home. Or rather, the place she stayed when she wasn't working.

"When you say it that way, it sounds like you're making fun of me," she said with a slight frown. She wasn't sure what to make of this man, most customers don't walk her home, they usually take her back to their places and she sneaks out before they can wake up. The few that she had let walk her home were always inebriated to some degree and would always touch her on the way there. Something this man had yet to do.

To say that Killian hadn't a drop of spirits in him would be a falsehood, but his hand was steady as a surgeon's. Though with her knowledge on his drinking habits since she was the one who usually served him the aforementioned spirits, she would say his tolerance was rather high.

"I'm not making fun of you, Swan. I am simply familiarizing myself with your name," he said with a gentle smirk.

"It's not that hard of a name to pronounce."

He shook his head. "That's not it at all, it's a very lovely name, would be a shame to not say it every chance I get."

She was about to say something, she was sure of it, but she never got the chance to say it as a small group of young boys ran past them, not caring about the pirate and the barmaid. One boy managed to run into Emma in just the right spot, as her hand was torn from Killian's arm and she fell to the ground.

"Watch where you're going, mate!" Killian yelled at them as the boys ran into the night.

"I never knew boys as young as that could be bothersome," Emma said from the ground. She was suddenly very grateful she was an only child.

Killian bent down to help her from the ground. "I have enough experience to tell you that a group of boys that age are nothing but trouble," he said darkly. "Well what do we have here?" he said as he looked at her leg.

"What?"

He pointed to her calf. "Those children would've thought twice about running into you if they knew you were armed." Emma glanced down at the garter and sheath that kept her dagger in place.

"It would be foolish for someone to live around these parts without a means to defend themselves," she said, getting up with his assistance. It wasn't just the rowdy population that had Emma arm herself. She always feared the day when someone would realize whose daughter she really is, and try to kill her to get back at her mother.

"Maybe so. How well do you know how to use it?"

"Very well. I was taught by growing up with thieves and pickpockets alike," she said, smoothing down her skirts. She didn't exactly grow up with the orphans living on the streets, but she was close with a few for years.

"How about a broadsword? Or maybe a cutlass?" he asked, suddenly interested in her weapons training.

She shrugged. "I know defense maneuvers with a broadsword. Nothing too complicated or noteworthy." She tried playing it off, not mentioning that Graham had taught her since she was strong enough to hold a sword.

He smiled widely. "Fascinating. My crew and myself are docked for a few weeks, perhaps sometime we could duel? We might learn a thing or two from each other," he supplied, tilting his head down to persuade her with his clear blue eyes.

She smiled. "That doesn't sound too bad," Emma said as they finally reached the boarding house she rented a room in. "This is me."

"Not bad at all. How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow sounds nice. I'll have to leave soon for work, though." She opened the door and stayed in the doorway for a moment.

"Not a problem. It's a date," he said.

She smiled and didn't bother correcting him. What harm was a little romantic fantasy? It surely wasn't going to go anywhere. "Goodnight, Killian."

* * *

 

True to his word, he did get to know her better. Every night as his crew went to the tavern to drink and try to get luck with a lady, their captain would always spend his time with the barmaid. After a week, he was no longer thought of as a passing ship, but as a friend, someone to trust her first name to.

The orphans Emma had befriended in her youth knew her first name, but of course she insisted people refer to her as 'Swan'.

The flirting greatly decreased, but she didn't mind, because the conversations were always light and meaningful, a highlight to her day. Emma had never had many honest conversations when she was growing up, or at least she knew that now. Killian didn't need to lie to her, he had no reason to, and to Emma, Killian Jones was like a breath of fresh air.

Of course he didn't know about Emma's family or what she was doing working at a tavern, but still Emma wanted to tell him, to confide to someone all the thoughts and hard feelings she'd been having since she had first walked into another tavern a year earlier.

While Emma wanted more time to get to know her new friend and to gain more of his trust, it was all cut too short.

* * *

 

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Emma joked. They both knew that they were each other's closest friends, even though they kept secrets from the other. Letting each other know that they shared less than desirable pasts, but not telling the other what that past was.

Killian pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand, quickly breathing in the salty lemon scent that seemed to permeate her skin. He could feel with the hand holding on to her wrist that her pulse accelerated, but she said nothing. Outwardly she appeared unfazed by his affection, a skill he greatly admired. He wondered if her pulse would race if he dared to put a kiss on her lips, but then shook that thought from his head. It had been clear to him for awhile that even though she loved flirting and drinking with him, there were still walls around her heart, walls that really shouldn't be ignored, but dealt with and taken down. The odds of that being him were low, especially now. But he loved a challenge.

"Oh Emma, there is something I have been putting off telling you, and I am not certain how you will take it," he said, an unnatural weight in his heart making his voice soft. His feelings for his Swan girl grew stronger the more nights he spent hanging on her every word, and saying what he was about to say might just break his heart.

Emma removed her hand from his grasp, taking that light warmth he craved with her. "What is it?"

"My ship's repairs are completed. We are setting sail tomorrow morning."

He watched as ice filled Emma's eyes. "Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you tell me this sooner instead of leaving so abruptly?"

He shook his head, trying to find the words to get her to understand. No matter what became of him, he never wanted to cause her pain. "Before I had been slowing down our progress as much as I could, but my men are getting restless and I can't ignore the call to head back into the waters."

"So that's it? You're leaving? Just like that?" she whispered, the room itself had faded away to them. Even though they were aware they were in a room filled with people and Emma was still working, they ignored it all easily.

He tried taking her hand in his again, but she pulled away. Ignoring his surroundings in favor of Emma was easy, but ignoring the pain in his heart at that small rejection was another matter. "Yes, I am leaving." His eyes met hers, and he allowed a hopeful grin to light up his face. "But I want you to come with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm that evil. Good luck stewing over what's gonna happen next. I did warn you about that cliffhanger


	4. That Escalated Quickly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title says it all, things are going to escalate pretty quickly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating sooner, but I had to put my dog down and then after that I was immediately thrown into work.

_Oh_.

He wasn't leaving her. He wanted to take her with him.

"I can't," she managed to choke out.

His hopeful face fell. "I see." He got up from his barstool. "I am truly sorry for imposing myself on you-"

"That's not it." Her heartbeat was racing so fast the room seemed to spin, but even though she was on the verge of a panic attack by the weight of all her secrets, she kept going. "I want to go with you. It would make my life so much easier if I could just _leave_ and go away with you, but I can't."

He leaned back into her personal space, his hand gently placed on top of hers. "Are you alright? Are you in danger? Love, whatever is troubling you I can help. You just have to trust me."

Emma shook her head. "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

Emma smoothed her face of any expression. "It doesn't concern you, the point is that I can't leave this kingdom. Not now."

Despite Emma's cold expression, he still looked determined. "Can I at least get a lass such as yourself to walk me back to my ship?"

Emma nodded. "Of course. If tonight really is your last night in this kingdom."

He placed her hand through the crook of his arm. "For now. I may be at sea for a while, but don't believe that I will not return, and when I do, I will ask you to go away with me. Hopefully you'll say yes next time."

Ignoring the lewd stares of the Jolly Roger's crew, they walked out of the tavern together.

The air was brisk and warm, therefore it was highly unusual for no one to be around. Even though this was the Evil Queen's kingdom, the port town Emma resided in was one that had people up and enjoying the nightlife.

Emma knew all this, she was aware that that night was unusual, her very bones could feel it, yet she was still caught off guard when they were attacked.

"Halt!" One of Regina's blackguards accompanied by three others pointed swords at them.

Killian unsheathed his cutlass and pointed it at the guards. Emma knew Killian was good with such a blade, but she wondered if he could take down four trained guards at once.

"Sod off, mate, the lady and I were just taking a walk, minding our own business," Killian said sharply to them.

"Give the girl to us, and leave, pirate. This doesn't concern you."

Emma froze. Her mother had found her. No matter how evil the Evil Queen was, there was no way she would murder her own daughter or order someone else to do it, but murdering a pirate was not below her.

"Killian, get out of here," she implored, letting a trickle of desperation color her voice.

"No, Swan. I'm not going to leave you to these monsters."

She placed a hand on his arm, and lowered his sword for him. He looked back at her in alarm. "No, Killian. They won't hurt me, but they will hurt you. Run."

"What's going on here, love?"

She debated whether or not to tell him her biggest secret. He was leaving her anyway.

But she really couldn't, not to her greatest friend. "The Evil Queen would never order them to hurt me, she's my mother."

Hurt and betrayal crossed his face, something she never wanted to see, especially since she was the one who put it there in the first place.

Then his expression changed into one of pure determination. "Do you trust me, Swan?"

She blinked, taken aback. The guards, noticing the pirate's distraction, inched forward.

"Yes, I do."

He kicked the support beam next to him and sent a platform falling, the heavy bags on top landing on the guards, knocking them unconscious.

"Run!" In one move he sheathed his sword and grabbed her hand tightly, leaving her no room to try to escape. He fled away from the scene with Emma trailing behind him.

"Where are we going?" she huffed out.

Before Killian could answer her they reached their destination. The vessel loomed in front of her, the paint on it looked like it had been touched up, the sails were at half mast and flowed in the soft wind. Emma had seen bigger ships ships with more shine, but she could see little hints of her captain in the tidiness of it all.

"Your ship is beautiful. Looks like everything has been redone," she whispered in awe and a little bit of suspicion.

"I wanted to make sure she was ready for departure. Or maybe I wanted to stay in port as long as I could." He dragged her right past his crew whistling as they went by and into his cabin without as much as a moment's hesitation.

Emma knew her dearest friend with the soulful blue eyes and killer smile was Captain Hook, scourge of the seven seas. Sometimes she couldn't reconcile her Killian with the fearsome Captain Hook, and then wondered why people always seem so good to her but always end up being a notorious villain. It hadn't taken long for Emma to realize Killian wasn't the man whose name sent shivers down a sailor's back. Emma could only hope he would extend the same courtesy to her at this most recent revelation on her part.

He finally let go of her hand and finally turned around to look at her. She swallowed nervously.

"You believe the Evil Queen to be your mother?" he asked. Emma was expecting mistrust and hurt words thrown at her, not his searching gaze taking in every part of her face.

"She is my mother," she mumbled.

He shook his head. "How old are you exactly?" he asked.

Emma's brow furrowed. "Twenty three as of a few months ago."

His eyes widened. "You don't say."

"Killian, what are you trying to get at?"

He sat down at the mahogany desk, not meeting her eyes. Emma hated it when he did that, it made it harder for the lie detector in her head to operate.

"Your name is Emma, you are twenty three years old, your existence had been kept a secret all your life from the public."

"Yeah, so?"

He shook his head, rubbing his hand over his face. "Bloody hell, Swan, I don't want to be the one to tell you this."

She stepped forward until she was a foot away. "Tell me what?" she hissed, her patience wearing thin.

Killian stared into her eyes, so full of light and strength. He hated himself for what he was about to do, for breaking the news to her like this, but she needed to know. Especially once he told her of the whispers on the streets that were slowly starting to become shouts so loud a bloody war would start. No matter what happened, he would protect Emma to the best of his ability, but first she had to know why.

"Do you know why the feud between the Evil Queen's kingdom and Misthaven is so strong?"

Emma nodded. "I've heard the stories. Something about Snow White ruining her life?"

"Aye. But that's how it all started. You must not have heard about the last thing Regina did to Snow White. What Regina did over twenty years ago."

Emma racked her brains for a hint of what he was talking about. She had heard whispers of such a story, but no one dared talk about it, as if the entire subject was taboo. "Of course not."

He clenched his hand, wondering if he clenched hard enough would his hand break. "Snow White had a child, but a few days after the child was born, Regina kidnapped the child. For decades now people thought she murdered the infant princess, but over the past year rumors have been spreading that Regina had hidden the child away. That the princess, that Princess Emma, is still alive."

This time he looked up, desperate to catch a glimpse of what she might be thinking. He saw the moment her walls slammed up, her denial in full swing. If Emma really was the same royal Emma he knew she really was, Killian might've accidentally gotten himself involved in a war that might encompass the whole realm. If his brother could see him then, there would be no doubt Liam would hit him upside the head and then laugh at the mess his little brother had gotten himself into.

"No. You have to be lying," she declared.

He raised an eyebrow. "Use your superpower and tell me I'm lying again."

After a long moment of her staring intently at him, her nose crinkling in frustration, her face fell at the realization that he wasn't lying.

"It's true." She shook her head. "It can't be true."

"I'm sorry, love.


	5. The Evil Queen's Retaliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Hook puts Emma under his protection as he takes her to the king and queen of Misthaven. When the Evil Queen hears of this, she isn't exactly happy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I'd forget about the Evil Queen, did you?
> 
> On another note, my apologies for keeping y'all waiting two months for the next update. Life got weird, the internet connection got weird, and I honestly kinda forgot about this story since it wasn't getting a lot of attention. Sorry to those who have been following!

It took awhile, but after the shock wore off, the truth seeped into her head.

She was Princess Emma of Misthaven, daughter of Queen Snow and King James, or rather, King David if the rumors of a bait and switch were true.

The kingdom of Misthaven was prepared to go to war with Regina again in order to finally confirm if their firstborn was indeed dead. The war would harm thousands unless something stopped Queen Snow and King David. Something like their daughter returning to them unharmed.

What truly stunned her was that Killian hadn't tried to get rid of her, instead he had offered to sail her to Misthaven to request an audience with the King and Queen.

If Emma had any doubts or thoughts he might ransom her, the swift kiss he placed on her hand quickly erased those thoughts.

She stayed hidden in his quarters away from the crew. Even though Killian trusted his men to follow orders, he didn't trust a bunch of lonely sailors to keep their hands to themselves. The crew didn't questions why they were headed to Misthaven.

Emma wasn't sure how she would do it, get her biological parents to stop their siege on Regina, but if the stories were true, then maybe their penchant for second chances could handle one final act of forgiveness. If Snow and David could let go of their anger, then maybe Emma's mother would too. Then the two of them could work something out with Emma's birth parents, and things could go back to the way they were between them, except this time there would be no secrets between them. Then finally Emma and Regina would have the genuine mother daughter relationship Emma craved since she found out the truth about the Evil Queen.

She could only hope.

* * *

 

Regina's hands trembled with fury, and a little bit of fear.

She waved her hand and her informant went flying, his leg breaking when he met the ground.

"Please, your majesty! Mercy!" he begged.

The Evil Queen sneered. "Giving you mercy won't get my daughter back from pirates," Regina said, spitting her words out like venom.

The informant struggled to breathe through the pain. " _Misthaven_!" he gasped.

Regina magically fixed his leg, and the informant breathed a sigh of relief.

"What about Misthaven?" the Evil Queen asked, managing to inject her usual threatening tone into every syllable.

The informant swallowed. "We've received word that the Jolly Roger, the ship your daughter was taken on, is heading straight for Misthaven."

Regina's heart raced wildly, her eyes widened in shock. "No…"

"At least now you know where they are going," the informant supplied, trying to keep himself alive.

An old and once dismissed thought creeped into her head for the first time in many years. "But they won't know where they'll be going," she muttered, her trademark evil smirk creeping up her timeless face.

With a twitching of her eyes, she was transported to her vault. Her eyes glanced over boxes and boxes of hearts, until she came across a heart she already crushed.

Lucky for her, otherwise she would have to crush Emma's heart.

The green sands of the halfway done curse glittered back at her. All Regina needed to do was wave her hand and it would be already to go.

Regina's evil eyes swelled up in emotion. For the first time in over a year, she was finally going to see her daughter, and not only that, they would be a family again.

* * *

 

"The curse! IT'S HERE!" Leroy screamed as he ran down the halls.

Emma's blood froze in her veins.

"Curse? What curse?" she whispered frantically, her hand gripping the leather of Killian's jacket.

His panicked eyes could barely seem to meet hers. "I don't know, love." He raced to the window. "Oh no," he whispered as if speaking louder would break the temporary peace in the library.

"Is there no chance to escape it?" Emma asked.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Swan. It appears we are about to be affected by some sort of curse."

Emma didn't want to see what was coming for them, especially since it scared Killian.

"What's going to happen to us?"

"I don't know. I know nothing of this curse, but I know I don't want to be caught in it."

Emma sniffled. "At least I got to meet my parents."

Killian tried to muster a smile for his princess. "Aye. They seemed nice enough." He went back to the scared former bar wench and took her hand. "Emma, I may not know what's going to happen when that curse hits us, but I know one thing for sure." He placed his hook on her waist, and he let go of her hand to cup her face tenderly. They didn't look anywhere but each other's eyes, trying to forget that everything was about to change.

She placed her hand over his, a tear escaped her eye, one he hastily wiped away.

"Even if that curse means certain death for all of us, and Milah's death remains unavenged, I am glad to have met you," Killian choked out.

Emma sobbed a weepy smile. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

His heart was pounding in his chest, his instincts were screaming at him to run, and his hair was sticking up at the back of his neck. Yet he didn't let go of his princess, kept her eyes turned on him so she wouldn't see the purple fog rolling in.

He pressed his lips against her cheek in a chaste kiss. "Oh darling, if we'd had more time, I would've swept you off your feet."

She giggled. "Really? I would've done our entire relationship differently if I knew you felt that way."

"Is that so, love?" Even though his life was now measured in seconds, he found himself hoping.

Emma nodded. "Of course."

Screams from the outside corridor made their way into the library.

He pressed her face into his chest. "Whatever you do, Swan, you don't want to see it coming."

Thanks to Killian Jones, she didn't.


	6. Emma's Perfect Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The effects of the curse are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I decided to take mercy upon all your souls and combined this chapter with some scenes I was reserving for next chapter. All your begging for more CS scenes caused this chapter

Deputy Emma Mills' life was perfect. Or at least it used to be.

For as long as she could remember, she had gone through life completely content. Brief flashes of memory reminded her of dinners with her mother, the town mayor, hiking in the woods, and of course her job as deputy.

But something has changed, and she could pinpoint the exact day it happened.

A few weeks earlier Emma had woken up in her comfortable bed and for a few seconds she had been confused, until her memories had told her everything she needed. She had been in her mother's house, in the same bed she had slept in for fifteen years. For an odd moment she had wondered why she was still living in her mother's house when she was now well into her twenties. She had remembered thinking there was no use in moving, since her relationship with her mother was great and the house was big enough for the two of them.

She had remembered how much she loved her decision to stay with her mother, but ever since she woke up that morning, she began to ask questions she could never remember asking before.

That morning she looked around the town and noticed just how lonely everyone was. Of course the townspeople would smile at Emma and offer a friendly wave and stop for the occasional conversation like they always would, but all the sudden Emma noticed that the townspeople never really talked amongst themselves. Married spouses drifted through life together without a spark of love between them. Parents looked at their children as if they were strangers, and Emma's instincts told her something wasn't right. She tried quieting those damn instincts of hers, trying to reassure herself that Storybrooke was as it should be and that she was just coming into her rebellious phase late in life.

It was her job at the station that confused her the most. Emma had everything down to a routine. Graham would show up with a box of bear claws, Emma would feed the town drunk and try to dodge his innuendoes accompanied by his raised eyebrows. She hated him with a fury, always had. He always had new ways of soliciting her. She wondered if Killian Jones got himself arrested on purpose just to irritate her. She arrested him almost on a daily basis and even though she knew that he should be in an actual prison at that point with all his many misdemeanors, he never left the town.

On the day that everything changed. She herself had stumbled into the station, preparing herself for his verbal harassment. He started saying something about handcuffs, but then stopped in the middle of his sentence and then looked at her oddly, as if he really couldn't remember anything he was about to say.

That was the last time Killian Jones was in her jail cell.

Emma still saw him around town, but never at the Rabbit Hole, the place he practically lived at. From what she'd heard, he had completely stopped drinking.

After Killian Jones had apparently turned over a new leaf, mornings would be calm, peaceful, except someone's dog would be barking too loud, or someone's car would get rear ended and they needed someone to handle the situation.

The incidences themselves weren't unusual, but when everyday the exact same thing happens, it was impossible to not think she was slowly going crazy.

* * *

 

"Morning, Deputy Mills," Killian said before he sipped on his coffee.

Emma Mills, the princess of Storybrooke herself, turned an eye on him.

"Morning, Mr. Jones," she said slowly, as if confused that he would say something to her. He couldn't blame her, except right then, the only time he ever spoke to her he was either restrained by handcuffs or in a jail cell.

He loathed her. Despised everything about her, or at least he thought he did. A few weeks earlier he had woken up in a jail cell, looked right at her, and realized he didn't want to be talking to her in a jail cell. He wasn't sure when, but he had developed feelings for Emma Mills. He had cut back on drinking, unsure of the cause of newly discovered feelings. Yet he couldn't help the small intake of breath he took whenever he saw her.

"Has the station been quiet since I went on the straight and narrow?" he asked, attempting a joke.

To his surprise, she chuckled. "Yeah, more cereal and cold eggs for me," she said, referencing the less than stellar breakfast she always served him.

"Well, seeing as that you are no longer my warden, I think you should call me by my name." He stuck out his right hand. "Killian Jones, at your service, milady."

She tilted her head in amusement. "'Milady'? Aren't we being a bit too formal?"

He flashed her a grin. "One can never be too formal in your presence, Deputy Mills." It was strange how her last name felt so strange on his tongue, even though he called her nothing else.

She shook her head. "Please, you can call me Emma."

"Pleasure to be on your good side for once, Emma."

She leaned in close to him, close enough that he could smell her salty and citrus scent. "Stranger things have happened. Just don't let me catch you falling off the wagon."

He gulped. "Well, when I have the approval of a lady such as yourself, why would I ever disappoint?"

When Emma walked out of the diner minutes later, she realized that her conversation with the man formerly known as the town drunk was the only thing to happen all week that felt genuine.

* * *

 

Oddly enough, he saw Emma again a lot sooner than he had thought. "You're not doing that right," he said when he approached her.

Emma flinched but made no other signs that she was surprised. She bent over to get another rock, and then she flung it onto the water. It skipped three times before it sunk. "I don't know what you're talking about, Jones. I'm doing this just fine."

He snorted, taking a sit on the edge of the dock. "Well if 'just fine' is what you want to settle for, by all means, I wish you the best."

She glanced at him at the corner of her eye and watched him. He pulled out a flask from his jacket and took a swig. "Are you kidding me? 'Straight and narrow' my ass." Emma quickly thought of her handcuffs resting comfortably at home, and cursed herself for not taking them.

He side eyed her. "Just because I'm not a bloody drunk anymore doesn't mean I have forsaken drink altogether." He offered her his flask. "Besides, if I so happen to be drinking with the town deputy, what harm can I really do?"

Emma smiled at him and accepted the flask. The scent of the salty air mixed with the sharp scent of the rum brought back a feeling of nostalgia. No specific memory came to her at that moment, but she knew it wasn't the first time she'd drunk rum by the sea.

"Look at that, I've corrupted Storybrooke's most honorable."

"Pfft! You make it sound like I'm some innocent angel," Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know, Emma, you do have a sort of angelic quality to you."

"It's the hair. Blondes always look like angels. Mystery solved."

He smiled at her sarcastic behavior. It seemed she had more of a bite than he originally suspected. "It that so, lass?"

Emma threw another rock onto the water. It didn't skip as it immediately sunk straight to the bottom. "Yeah. And dark haired men in leather jackets are usually demons."

"Oh that's not fair! If anyone in this town in a demon, it's that bloody pawn broker!"

Emma threw her head back and laughed. "Mr. Gold? He can barely walk, how is he a demon?"

Killian scoffed. "His prices are outrageous," he said, gesturing vaguely. Nothing came to mind at that moment, but he didn't like Mr. Gold. That man with his shifty eyes and empty smiles, gave him the creeps.

Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that it? He's a demon because he makes antiquing harder for your wallet?"

"Not the point. Mr. Gold is a demon, his fixation with Lacey is a bit uncomfortable to watch, and your stone skipping just seems to be getting worse!"

At his last statement, Emma dropped the rock in her hand straight into the water. She frowned at the ripples in it caused. "Well duh, you keep distracting me."

His pleased smirk made an appearance on his face. "Am I too distracting for you, love? Would you prefer I take myself somewhere else?"

If someone had told him this would happen, he wouldn't have believed them, but lo and behold, a flirtatious smirk crept on Emma's face. "I'd prefer you keep your distracting self right where I can watch you."

He was a bit taken aback at her more brazen behavior, not sure how to respond. He had always seen the deputy as high strung, too goody two shoes for his taste, but he had no idea how entrancing she could be when she tried. But of course, she wouldn't have tried her charms on the town drunk.

"What's that, sailor? Cat got your tongue?" Emma cooed at him.

So he stopped acting like a lad with a crush and tried to charm her right back. "No, love. My tongue appears to be in working order, unless you'd like to check it for yourself."

She had bent down to grab another rock, but she stopped halfway to look at him, she smiled, and Killian almost swallowed when he saw her hooded eyes darken.

"Maybe I would," she mumbled breathily.

This was it, he was going to ask her out. This flirtatious back and forth was nice, but he didn't want to be stuck in an 'all talk no action' situation forever. He opened his mouth to ask-

Her phone started to vibrate.

Emma sighed and pulled it out of her pocket.

"Hey, Mom," she answered.

Right. Emma's mother, Mayor Mills. Emma was the daughter of the mayor and was the town deputy. He was a drunken fisherman who lived on his boat. His heart sunk at the realization. He had nothing to really offer her, there was no way he could ever earn her mother's approval, and Emma herself could just see this as a game. Even if he ever did get close enough to press his lips to hers, it might not mean the same thing to her.

"I'm heading home right now. See you soon. Love you, bye." Emma hung up her phone and looked at him apologetically. "I have to go, but it was really nice hanging out with you. I'll see you around."

"Aye," he said while mustering up a small smile. She saw right through it, but didn't question it.

When her mother called her back, Emma could never find it in herself to say no.

* * *

This realm was strange. Her short hair was strange, her clothes were strange, everything about this place was strange. Oh, but she loved it.

The woman formerly known as the Evil Queen trailed her fingers on the smooth walls as her heels clicked on the tile floor. Her accommodations were smaller than what she was used to, everything about this world was smaller. Smaller house, smaller hair, smaller skirts, but she couldn't find herself to be too upset about that last one. The clothes in this realm were certainly less constricting.

As much as the town itself, Storybrooke, amused her with all its unique charms, she couldn't help but be constantly reminded of the very best one. Emma.

Every morning she woke up, sometimes with Graham, sometimes without, she made breakfast, unfortunately without magical aid, and started her day chatting pleasantly with her daughter.

On the first day of the curse, she had had to swallow her tears along with her coffee when Emma came down the stairs. It was the first time in over a year she had seen her. Regina herself had cursed memories fighting for dominance in her head, but she was the only one in town that knew they weren't real. In her fake memories Regina and her daughter had had a movie night just twelve hours earlier, and therefore she knew what Emma now looked like a year older, but it was still a shock to have confirmed proof that all was well.

Everything was perfect, her daughter was with her, Snow White and her pretty much useless husband were a realm away, and she was adored as well as feared by the townspeople.

She didn't forget about that pirate. That damn Captain Hook who had become infatuated with Emma and then taken her to Misthaven, to them. She made sure he wouldn't get any funny ideas about her daughter this time, since in his mind she was annoyingly pure. She made sure that Emma stayed far away from him, the town drunk, the bad boy she was disgusted by.

Rumplestiltskin was right after all, this curse really was her happy ending.

* * *

 

Emma finished off her hot chocolate and tossed it in the trash can. Maybe it was just her imagination, but food had suddenly tasted a lot better in the past few weeks. Just the other day she had eaten her usual lunch order, but the moment that onion ring had made it into her mouth, she had almost moaned at it. It was so odd, it was as if she had never eaten an onion ring before. Maybe Ruby added a new ingredient.

"Hey, Emma, did you fill out the report on last week's DUI?" Graham asked.

"Unfortunately," she sighed. She didn't understand why someone as smart and fun loving as Lacey would let herself become completely trapped in a relationship with her meathead boyfriend. Without Killian to take the heat off him, Lacey was now dating Storybrooke's most troublesome resident.

"I know. It's sad, but true," Sheriff Humbert said with a shrug. Sometimes Uncle Graham was the most caring man, but other times he acted a bit heartless.

"I hate to stick my nose in this, but I just don't see why Lacey just doesn't leave him."

"On the contrary, she did," called a familiar accent as he strolled into the station. "That is precisely why I am here."

"Jones, what's this about?" asked the sheriff. Emma gave him a once over as he stopped right in front of her desk.

"Lacey and I are celebrating her newfound relationship status, and would prefer a member of the station to accompany us so certain unwanted company doesn't crash the party."

Emma's lips turned upwards in a grin for a moment. Lacey finally left him. Good for her. "Jones, as much as it's nice to hear that she is no longer with her possibly steroid taking boyfriend, I can't just leave my post." The sheriff gave the fisherman a hard look before waving a folder at him to show just how busy he was. Emma knew that the folder he held was actually the town pet registry, but Emma wouldn't dare undermine her uncle in front of someone.

"Well it's a good thing I didn't mean you, mate," Killian said, looking at the deputy. "Lass, what say you? Fancy a night babysitting?"

Graham opened his mouth to protest, probably to yell at Killian for his flirtatious behavior towards Emma, but Emma beat him to it.

"Sure," she said with a blank face, knowing that if she showed any sort of glee at the turn of events he would immediately tell her mother. "Graham can't leave the station and I can't very well let two people with criminal records go into a bar without some sort of watch on them, especially if there will be some sort of…..altercation with another person with a history of violent behavior." Killian's face went blank as well as he caught on to her plan.

"Of course, Deputy Mills. You have to do your job," he said, his smirk getting harder to conceal. "I'll wait for you outside."

Sheriff Humbert made another move to protest the unexpected turn of events, but once again she was one step ahead of him. "I'll walk out with you!" she said quickly as she scrambled to put on her leather jacket.

When the two managed to get outside and away from the disbelieving eye of her uncle, he turned to her. "Did the princess of our fair town really just do something improper?" he asked teasingly at her.

Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "Maybe I just wanted a drink. I have no idea what all this 'princess' nonsense is about."

* * *

 

Lacey rubbed any smeared eyeliner from her face as she waited for her friend to show up. Meeting at the bar was her idea after all, but she still hoped that he would've shown up on time.

She had been with him for so long, she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't with him. He would always go on about their future, about the life they'd have (a life that now turned out to be dominated by some sort of physical contest and her being the pretty trophy) the kids that they'd have (seven boys, she thought with a shudder). She always thought she'd just have one kid or maybe two to nurture kindly like her mother had nurtured her, but he was dead set on having carbon copies of himself. All big and muscly too.

Oh her mother. How Mrs. French herself must be turning in her grave at how her daughter let herself be pushed and pulled all over Storybrooke by some beef cake. Well, no longer. Lacey was done, she'd had it. When she saw how Killian had turned his life around, she knew she could do it too. The DUI had been the last straw.

"Lacey, dear, there you are," her best friend said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Jones, finally you show up," she said with a teasing eye roll.

He rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Sorry about that, had to call in for reinforcements." He gestured to the woman standing behind him.

Lacey nearly spat out her drink. "Emma Mills? What are you doing with this old codfish? Don't you two despise each other?" Was she more drunk than she thought?

Emma took the seat next to her. "Not really. We decided to be kinda sorta friends."

With a pointed look from Killian telling her not to poke holes in his and Emma's newfound friendship, she went back to her margarita. Wow, Lacey thought Hell would freeze over before those two would become friends. Strange.

Later that night after Killian and Emma dropped her off at home, she wondered if bringing Emma was some sort of diversion. With Lacey thinking about how Emma and Killian became friends (and wondering if Emma had anything to do with him turning his life around) she didn't think at all about her ex.

Lacey put on her warm pajamas and went to bed with a smile. Maybe things would be fine for after all. With all those books she reads on heroes and heroines alike overcoming so much strife, surely she can overcome a bad break up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last scene was my beta's favorite, I hope you all loved it too. Shout out to my beta, blc1227!


	7. When Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two familiar people from the Enchanted Forest make their way to Storybrooke and fully realize how it affects memories of its victims

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna bet y'all aren't even surprised who the two people from the Enchanted Forest are, are you?

Emma rubbed her head to rid herself of her migraine. Mr. Hopper's dog really did bark loudly. If it weren't for the special dog treats Ms. Lucas made for her, her job would've been a lot harder.

She waved to Lacey, remembering her impressive shot on the pool table from the previous night, as she cut across her usual path down the alleyway. Emma was glad to note that Lacey seemed lighter than she had been in a long time.

By taking the shortcut, she might be able to make it home before nightfall. Emma's mom was making her famous apple pie for dessert, and no matter how wonky her head had been the past few weeks, she couldn't deny how good it felt to be in her mother's company.

And maybe she could pass on apple pie leftovers to her newfound friend. Looking back on all the times she's spent with Killian, she wondered why she hated him. It was possible that she only hated him because in the past he made her feel uncomfortable with blatant drunkenness and always leering at her. But ever since that morning that didn't feel like a real morning, she'd started seeing him differently. But of course skipping rocks and watching the sunset with someone would cast an attractive man in a romantic light.

Maybe instead of running into him on accident, maybe next time she saw him, their encounters could be planned (well, more planned than inviting someone to make sure their ex didn't harass them). She could do that, ask him out. It was a completely normal thing to do for her to ask the guy she kinda sorta had feelings for. It was.

What was the problem? He had gone to the Rabbit Hole with her just the other day, it wasn't a big deal.

Butterflies pressed against the linings of her stomach. No, no, no. Asking him out would be a terrible idea. Not natural in the slightest, what if he only saw her as a friend? Or he thought she was too stuck up for him?

She didn't want to lose his friendship. Emma Mills didn't have much in the way of friends except her mother and Uncle Graham and maybe even Lacey, having someone just to herself was too good to ruin.

But of course if they ran into each other again and she just so happened to be going to lunch…..

While Emma was smiling over her theoretical encounter with her Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, a hand pressed over her mouth and a set of arms came around her, restricting her.

"Shh! Stop struggling!" Unfortunately for her kidnappers, that only made her struggle more.

"Emma, calm down! It's just us."

Emma managed to squeeze out of the restraining arms and looked at her assailants. A woman with long dark hair and and a man with salt and pepper hair with blue eyes.

"What do you think you're doing? Kidnapping the deputy isn't exactly how someone makes friends around here," Emma snarled.

"Deputy? At your age? That's impressive," the man said, looking at Emma with an aura of pride.

"David!" the woman snapped. "We have more urgent matters."

Emma rolled her eyes. What has she gotten herself into this time? "If you two need to solve your issues, I'll just be on my way." Emma moved to hastily exit the alley, but once again an arm prevented her escape.

"Emma, you need to break the curse," David said.

"What?"

"You heard him. You need to break the curse so we can all go home," the woman said.

Emma looked back and forth between the two hopeful, and possibly delusional, faces. She felt that there was some sort of joke she was missing. "Going home? That's what I was doing before you two stopped me. You know, seeing as I live right over there," she said, pointing to the general direction of her house.

The woman was starting to look exasperated, while the man took on a look of panic. "That's not what we meant. We need to get back to the Enchanted Forest. The curse didn't take us and we bartered for a magical bean. Leo stayed behind to oversee reconstructing the land so we could come find you and bring you home along with the rest of the town. We have a way to get back." Emma looked at the woman, wondering if she'd gotten into some of Ms. Lucas' special moonshine.

The man placed an arm on the black haired woman. "Snow, I think the curse affected her too. She doesn't seem to remember us, or anything," David said.

"Who are you exactly?"

Snow grabbed her hand. "You're our daughter!"

Emma snatched her hand back, taking a step away from them. "No you're not. I have the birth certificate and the childhood to prove it."

David took a step forward. "Emma, pay attention. That woman who you think is your mother is the Evil Queen-"

Emma slowly backed away. "You must be on some powerful stuff to think you're a pair of fairytale characters. Listen, I don't know what you two are on, but don't sell it to the kids around here. And if you two find yourselves having the balls to go on a bizarre trip in front of the Mayor's daughter who is also the town deputy, I suggest you don't."

Emma turned around and marched quickly away from the two loons, not realizing who she had really been talking to, or what she had revealed.

"No…" Snow's sad voice trailed off. Once again her daughter had been taken away from her.

David pulled her into an embrace. "It's going to be OK, Snow. We'll just have to figure something out."

She looked up at him. "Did you hear what she said. She thinks she's the daughter of the mayor. There's only one person that could be."

David tensed. "Regina. There is no way she doesn't remember."

"It's a good thing there's no magic in this realm," Snow muttered.

Despite everything they'd been through the past month, he shared a mischievous smirk with her, an echo of the ones they'd shared during adventures.

Snow turned in his arms to look at him. "It looks like we're going to have to have a word with the Evil Queen."

"Mom!" Emma yelled as she slammed the door.

Regina Mills, with all the grace her formerly royal self contained, hurried to the foyer to meet her wild eyed daughter. "Emma, what is it?"

She clutched Emma's arms, a bit of panic working its way through her system. Whatever or whoever had put that look into her savior's eyes, the Evil Queen, no, Mayor Mills, was going to make them pay. She had made this town to be peaceful, just so her daughter would never be harmed. If there was a glitch to the curse, she would fix it, no matter how many hearts she had to crush.

"We have a problem. I think somehow drugs, powerful mind warping drugs, have made their way into Storybrooke."

How could that have happened? Nowhere in the curse was there anything about narcotics except for alcohol. "What makes you think that, sweetie?" Regina brushed her fingers over Emma's soft hair. Ever since she'd gotten a second chance to be with her daughter, she hadn't taken a moment for granted.

Emma swallowed, festering behind her. "On my way here, these crazy people were delusional. Told me you're the Evil Queen and that I was their daughter." Regina's blood went cold. What Emma was telling her was impossible.

"You're right. We do have a problem," Regina murmured, looking to the side, trying to come up with a way to get the pesky True Love couple out of the way.

"Mom, I think we should stay with Uncle Graham at the station tonight, or at least get him to stay with us for a few nights. I'm scared they'll try to hurt us. They seemed fixated on me."

Regina kissed her daughter's forehead, both remembering all the times Regina had done that to Emma growing up, but both of them remembering those situations differently.

Before Emma had been taken by the crew of the Jolly Roger, she had heard rumors that Emma had indeed stolen the heart of a crafty sea captain. Even Regina knew that no matter how many fake memories someone can stick into another person's head, instinct will always overrule that. For once she hoped that her curse didn't blot out his feelings for her, even if that meant giving up time with the light of her life. Emma needed to be safe, and right now she was safest with the pirate without his hook.

"I believe you, these people do sound dangerous. But I won't hide in the shadows, fearing they'll strike. You on the other hand shouldn't stay here."

Emma gaped. "But Mom, where will I go? What about you?"

Regina looked straight into Emma's mossy green eyes and tried to convey an aura of calm. "I'll be fine. I'll stay here tonight."

"No, I'm not going to stay at Ms. Lucas' inn-"

"You're not going to be staying at the inn. You're going to be staying with Mr. Jones."

Emma looked at her lifelong guardian as if she'd lost her mind. "Killian? Why would I-"

"Good, you're on a first name basis with him," Regina said, squashing down her maternal instincts down and didn't ask when exactly those two became friends in this realm. Especially since she had been sure that those two hated each other in this version of their reality.

Emma made a move to protest. Regina held up her finger. "Young lady, you go pack an overnight bag, then go town to the docks and charm your way into crashing at Mr. Jones' residence. Despite his many vices, that man is more capable than you'd think."

"Mom. You're worrying me. I'm getting scared," Emma breathed.

With every ounce of her strength, Regina pushed Emma out of her arms. "Stay calm, Emma. Everything will be alright as long as you do exactly as I say."

The monarchs of the kingdom of Misthaven kept to the trees, their weapons concealed under what passed as clothing in this bizarre realm.

They watched as Emma reluctantly left the large eggshell colored house with a bag in her hand.

"We'll wait until we know she isn't coming back. Then we'll strike," Snow said, barely keeping a handle on her anger.

"Say what you want about Regina, but she does love Emma. She won't let Emma get involved in this. We move now."

* * *

 

"Killian!" A feminine voice yelled.

Killian put down the scrub brush he'd been using to get rid of a dirty footprint on the planks of his ship.

To his utter delight, it was the always entertaining deputy. His heart skipped a beat when even in the low light the sunset was casting, she still managed to light up.

"Would you look at that? Deputy Mills misses me enough to make a house call," he called back teasingly.

"Normally I would love to forget everything and just flirt with you until my heart bleeds, but I need your help," she said. It was then that he noticed the anxious expression on her face, and the duffel bag she set down on his deck.

"What seems to be the matter?"

She seemed to panic for a moment, trying to find the words. "Two junkies harassed me today, no, they targeted me. Me specifically. They kept saying all this crazy stuff about my mother and I. My mom told me to sleep somewhere safe tonight while she stays in the house completely unprotected."

He tried to catch on quickly. "The almighty Deputy Mills just left because her mother told her so?" Killian raised an eyebrow in disbelief. This didn't sound at all like his tough lass.

"Hell no," Emma scoffed. "I just made her think I was leaving for good. I came to ask you to be my backup."

His head dropped back in laughter. "There's my lass! It seems to me you've got a bit of pirate in you after all."

She lowered her head, her eyes becoming hooded. "I guess I lucked out."

* * *

 

"No matter what I do in life. I always end up with pointy objects directed at me courtesy of the Charmings," Regina retorted bitterly.

David held his sword pointed at her throat. "You're going to tell us how to break the curse."

"As if."

Snow pounded her fist onto the coffee table. "Dammit, Regina! You took Emma from us twice now. I have had it with giving you second chances." The Queen of Misthaven was at the end of her rope.

"Fine. Do it. Kill me and watch how fast Emma will retaliate. In this realm and in the Enchanted Forest, I am still the woman who raised her," Regina smiled victoriously at her sworn enemies. She knew that Emma's loyalties would always lie with her, even though she was the most horrid villain to have ever lived.

"True Love's Kiss can break any curse," David supplied, hope of a plan brewing in his head.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Only the Savior can break my curse, and her life is perfect here. I've made sure of that. True Love's Kiss only works when both people want to break the curse. Trust me when I say that Emma doesn't want to."

* * *

 

"There's only one light on. That isn't a good sign," Emma whispered.

"Look through the windows, see if we can spot your mother," her roguish companion said.

Killian and Emma walked around the house in opposite directions to cut down on time.

"Emma! Over here!" he called to her.

Mayor Mills was being held at knife point by two middle aged strangers.

"Those are the junkies that harassed me today!" Emma's eyes went wide at the sight of her mother as a hostage.

She made a move to the front door, when Killian stopped her. "Are you bloody mad? They have weapons, and we don't. You'll get yourself killed!"

Emma implored him with her eyes. "There's no time to call Graham. I have to go in there and try to talk those two down."

Killian shook his head. "Please. Don't do this," the desperation in his voice made her eyes tear up.

She wanted to tell him that she'd be alright, that everything would be fine. Instead, something completely different came out.

"I think we should go out."

Emma froze. That wasn't at all what she was going to say. It almost felt like she hadn't said it. Oops.

Or maybe not 'oops'. She meant it. She said it. Emma Sw- Emma Mills never said anything she didn't mean.

Killian choked on a smile. "You're a bloody mad woman. Propositioning a man before heading into uncertain danger."

A brief peal of laughter tore out of her throat, a hauntingly clear laugh that echoed around her head. "Well we are doing something possibly life threatening and we haven't been on a date."

He let a bit of his swagger come through in the way he smirked at her. "Of course we've gone on many dates before, love."

Emma looked at him in bemusement. "Did I just so happen to miss all of them?"

"Well I consider the first time you arrested me to be our first date. We had a hearty meal-"

"I wouldn't call stale cereal 'hearty'."

"-a romantic view-"

"Because the Storybrooke jail is apparently very scenic."

"-and even a bit of bondage." That smug bastard winked.

"I wouldn't exactly call putting handcuffs on you for being drunk and disorderly a romantic activity," Emma said, giggling at the end of her sentence. "It's a shame we never kissed at the end of those dates."

His smile lit up his whole face. "Aye. A pity. Something we should remedy if we are to be facing grave peril together."

Her smile slowly grew on her lips. "This is insane. The most I know about you is your arrest record. I just wish we knew each other better."

"I do as well, Swan. But emotions and feelings can't be tampered with no matter what your head tells you what's supposed to be. I say we just go with it. What do you say, love?" he ended his musings with a husky whisper as once again that irritating flirtatious smile took a hold on him.

Emma looked at him, watching her sailor look like the cat that ate the canary. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

She grabbed the lapels on his jacket and crushed her lips to his. His mouth was soft, warm, and gave her a sense of calm in the storm that was her emotions.

The calm didn't last very long.

It all came rushing back. The Enchanted Forest. Magic. The curse. Princess Emma and Captain Hook.

They pushed away from each other, their heavy breathing only partly due to the onset rush of memories.

"Well, love, I believe things just got a lot more complicated."


	8. After-Curse Clean Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The curse is broken. Now what?

The town went to Hell after the curse broke. Emma managed to calm down the feuding royals from not killing each other to actually calmly discussing what to do next. If anyone had any doubts as to Emma's lineage and her royal upbringings, they were silenced. Emma managed to emerge as a true leader to Storybrooke and got everyone to organize. The riots that were starting to form were dismantled by a few promises made by Emma that she'd try to meet their demands. When the former Evil Queen and the two Misthaven royals weren't bickering with each other over who killed who and who started war with who, they were all proud of Emma's leadership skills. Skills many people thought she'd been born with.

Killian stayed near the docks and almost never came out from his quarters on his ship. He managed to catch brief glances of her flaxen hair running about the town with an air of authority, had seen the bulletin boards she had put in place where people were looking for missing family members. He had seen all the good she was doing.

Killian had always felt lighter in her presence, minus the fake memories where he had felt nothing but dread when it came to the prim and proper deputy, but he had never realized just how good she was. Didn't realize other people would gravitate towards that aura of goodness she gave off. No wonder the Evil Queen wanted to keep Emma all to herself.

He only hoped that Emma would want to continue what their cursed selves had started.

* * *

 

When everything was finally settled and plans were being made to return to the Enchanted Forest, Emma was finally able to made time to see her pirate.

"It's amazing the type of things happened during the curse," Emma said upon her arrival. She held the metal object behind her back, wanting to surprise her favorite Storybrooke resident. Killian raised a brow at her statement, but not at all upset at her presence.

He had barely seen her with all four royals trying to stop the Storybrooke citizens from rioting. Logically he knew what True Love's Kiss was and what exactly it meant, Emma said those things and kissed him when she had no idea who he was. Emma also confessed romantic feelings for him only when they thought they were going to die. He loved her, that he knew for sure, but he loved her enough to not force her to be with him because a case of an addled mind.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

Emma pulled her hand from behind her back to brandish Killian's most infamous possession.

"Where in blazes did you get my hook?" he asked.

Emma shrugged. "Believe it or not it's been in my room since we came here. I finally managed to remember to give it to you." She handed it out to him. She figured it was best not to mention that she had used it as a coat rack. Her captain was a bit sensitive about his hook.

With a twist of his hand, he removed the prosthetic he had used during the curse and tossed it behind him, not caring where it went. He took his hook from Emma's hand and screwed it into his brace.

He laughed. "That's more like it," he said as he used his newly recovered hook to brush a strand of hair from Emma's face.

Emma smiled and shook her head. "I like it here. Here in Storybrooke."

"You do?"

"Yeah. This realm is strange, but everyone has all these memories of living here and some want to stay. They were fake memories, but they felt real."

Killian nodded in agreement. "Aye. Sometimes I find myself forgetting I had a life before the curse. I've grown rather accustomed to jeans." He looked at his non-leather clad legs before looking back at Emma.

"I'm staying here. Here in Storybrooke." Killian froze to fully gauge her words. "Snow and Charming are going back. My mother is staying here. She's already given her kingdom to be annexed by Misthaven." She reached for his hand, her thumb caressing a knuckle. "This is a place for second chances. A place where a pirate wouldn't be charged for his crimes committed in another realm."

"Please tell me you're implying what I think you are," he said, his hand tightening on hers.

"That I want you to stay here in Storybrooke with me? Yeah, that's exactly what I'm implying. I'm taking over as mayor, Graham is stepping down, and I need someone as sheriff that I can rely on."

He smirked at her. "Are you sure it's only about a position?"

She placed her other hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her more directly. She looped her arms around his neck and drew him in closer. "Of course not. I'm going to need a partner in more than just law enforcement."

He leaned in closer, about to catch her lips with his. "Brilliant. If that's your offer, than I accept." His lips were barely an inch away from hers.

Emma pulled away from with a beaming smile on her face. "Great! Now before everyone leaves, all three of my parents would love to meet you!"

Since the beginning of this whole adventure, true fear gripped the fearsome Captain Hook. "Oh bloody hell."

 


	9. Epilogue

It had taken a quite a bit of reorganizing of the townspeople who found themselves with families that they didn't have back in the Enchanted Forest. While many people were now confused when talking about their relatives, since they had gained an average of three new relatives during the curse, no one was really upset about the whole thing.

The former Evil Queen had her powers stripped, her many victims coming forward and wanting retribution, the only thing that had spared her life was Emma's many negotiations to save the woman who had raised her. Her large vault of hearts were returned to their proper places, her former palace guards now able to go back to their families.

The king and queen of Misthaven, along with their son, got to spend quality time with their lost daughter and sister, and were able to get to know the incredible woman born on their true love, and mourned together the time they never spent together while she grew up.

At first King David hadn't appreciated that his daughter's closest friend had been a pirate captain, instead of the captain of a merchant ship, as Killian had been introduced as when he had shown up at their palace when he had first delivered Emma to them. Then, when Killian started telling the king of his many adventures on the seas along with a few humorous stories about the times he had spent with Emma when she worked at the tavern, the king then welcomed Killian almost as a friend.

When the trio had eventually left with a promise to stay in touch via magic mirrors and portal opening magic beans, Killian found himself missing them all the same. He may have spent a few centuries despising royals and everything about them, but anyone related to his lovely Swan could not be so terrible.

After all the grumblings had quieted down and all the people who had wanted to go back had gone back with the monarch of Misthaven, a certain sheriff and a certain mayor had finally gotten around to a very important meeting.

"So how exactly did you find this place?" Emma asked her hooked companion before pouring herself another glass of wine.

Killian gave himself a pat on the back. The picnic was going well, the promise he had made to her that he would sweep her off her feet finally coming to fruition. Luckily for him that the duck pond by the woods was deserted during weekdays, otherwise he would've had a participating audience that would hinder his aforementioned sweeping of certain royal feet.

Her dashing rapscallion gave a light hearted chuckle as he stole her glass momentarily for a sip. She wrinkled her nose at him, and he placed a kiss on it to appease her. While his lady was rather attractive when she was a bit frustrated with him, he didn't want to risk anything on his first date with her. "Well, love, I had to spend some of my time exploring since my beloved mayor was indisposed of."

A bit of guilt flashed across Emma's face as she sat up and looked at him. "Have you really been that lonely?"

Internally cursing himself for putting any sort of hurt expression on his Swan's face, he tried to fix things. "I didn't make many friends during my time as a pirate captain who robbed anyone who might've been a friend. Since my recent change of career, things have been a bit different on the personal life front." While speaking, he briefly remembered the shock the townspeople had shared when Mayor Swan announced the person she appointed as sheriff.

Emma placed her wine glass on the picnic blanket. The sky had a few clouds, it was a beautiful day. He suspected she had something to do with that, but didn't put voice to his suspicions. Bloody hell, why did he always say the wrong thing?

"Do you regret staying here with me?" She asked in a timid voice.

"Of course not," he said.

She raised herself on her elbows to look him in the eye. "My lie detector doesn't work with people I care about, so you're going to have to tell me the truth."

With his only hand, he raised it to her cheek and used his thumb to stroke her soft skin. "No, love, you're seeing something that isn't there. How could I go back to the Enchanted Forest and live that sad lonely life when I know I left my happy ending behind?"

Emma stopped breathing."Your happy ending? You found it here?"

He shrugged softly, not wanting to bring levity to the moment, yet not knowing how else to properly convey his emotions. When he noticed the moisture building up in her eyes, he decided to be more direct.

"It's you, Emma."

She stared at him, speechless, her mouth hanging slightly open, almost in shock. He wished she would something, anything, to put him out of this state of wondering.

Instead of getting words, he got actions.

Emma cupped his face in her hands and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. The emotion behind it took his breath away.

She pulled back, her eyes meeting his, capturing his full attention. She grinned and gave a small giggle. He raised his eyebrow at the foreign noise. Emma Swan just does not giggle.

"I love you," she mumbled.

"That's a relief. I love you too," he mumbled back.

She pulled him closer for another kiss, one less soft and filled with the breathless exhilaration that such confessions warranted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M FREE


End file.
